Category: Books

Lincolnshire – the county of big skies, the eponymous sausage, home of the Red Arrows and a varied landscape that encompasses city, town, village and hamlet, coast and countryside and an Area of Outstanding Beauty – it’s no wonder it has its own annual celebratory day.

Lincolnshire Day (#LincolnshireDay) is celebrated every year on October 1st, the anniversary of the Lincolnshire Rising, a revolt by Catholics against the establishment of the Church of England by Henry VIII in 1536.

And tonight it was the subject of the weekly Twitter hashtag hour #LincsHour and there was no shortage of events planned for the day available for TheMiniMalpi to retweet.

The Lincolnshire Echo’s list of 16 things to do this Lincolnshire Day includes a walk through the Wolds, a book signing at Lindum Books in Bailgate, Lincoln, a festival of food and music at Swallowbeck Methodist Church and the launch of a new display at Cranwell Aviation Heritage Centre sharing RAF Cranwell’s history as a training school.

Healing Manor Hotel near Grimsby is holding an evening of Lincolnshire dishes in its Portman Restaurant and in Grantham celebrations will be equally delicious with the Teaspoon Tea Company offering free samples of its “Grantham tea” and the town’s market hosting a Sausage Saturday event.

And Visit Lincoln’s own website page Lincolnshire Day 2016 also includes the Lincoln Book Festival’s Local History Afternoon, the Lincoln Ghost Bus Tour, Age UK’s Lincolnshire Lunch celebration of both Older People’s Day and Lincolnshire Day in one go at their Park Street branch in Lincoln, New Theatre Royal Lincoln’s Lincolnshire Day ticket offer and (on Sunday 2nd) the first Lincoln Half Marathon.

It’s not our local branch so we only pop in every now and then when we’re in the right area of the city at the right time.

But we were definitely rewarded in our latest visit when we wandered around the corner to the children’s area and discovered a castle!

Wander around the castle itself and you’ll still be looking for an adult-sized entrance as it’s designed specifically for younger readers.

(Older readers just need to be able to crouch down otherwise, as one member of the library staff who told us it was only recently installed said, “It’s really good but it can be difficult to get them back out when it’s time to go!”)

If you do make it inside you can find shelves of books, DVDs and… dressing up clothes!

And, if it does take a while for your little sister to re-emerge from the wooden fortress, there are plenty of comfy cushions and colouring activities to use whilst you wait.

When planning for #30DaysWild and worrying about rainy days I took a couple of trips to two libraries ahead of the start of the month.

On my second trip I was rewarded with finding a copy of The Stick Book: loads of things you can make or do with a stick by Jo Schofield and Fiona Danks.

I’ve spotted this once or twice on visits to National Trust property shops and have been very tempted so was glad to have a chance to borrow it.

Luke is very partial to collecting sticks and the pushchair has often found itself adorned with ones that absolutely must be brought home with us – a decorative use I could add to the book’s 70 projects.

He would certainly understand the feeling behind the book’s introduction:

“Let’s go on an adventure. All you have to do is run outside and find a stick. Choose it with care and it can be anything you want it to be: a sword with which to fight off fierce dragons in the forest, a tracking stick to help you creep after secretive creatures, a wand to cast magic spells or a broomstick to transport you to other worlds.

“The stick is perhaps the best-loved toy of all time, the starting point for endless adventures for generations of children all over the world. Sticks are easy to find, natural and, best of all, totally free. So, if you haven’t got your own special stick, what are you waiting for?”

Projects featured include building a den, making a stick sword, a wand, a wriggly snake and a picture frame, drawing in mud and sand and wild weaving.

Lincoln is lucky to have the beautiful Lindum Books in the Bailgate and when I read that its bookseller Gill Hart‘s favourite book of the week, “that generates a whole range of emotions and a little lump in the throat”, was a children’s picture book I had to ask her to write a review of it for us!

I will love you anyway by Mick and Chloe Inkpen is published by Hodder Children’s Books, priced £6.99.

“A lovely story for littlies and grown-ups alike about a naughty puppy told from the pup’s perspective, human words just make no sense to this irrepressible character,” writes Gill.

“The story is told in rhyme, which makes it a pleasure to read and listen to aloud through lots of repetitions and takes us through the whole range of emotions including some of the darker ones.

“There is peril and the threat of loss here, but it’s not a big spoiler to say all ends well for this endearing little chap.”